Bust Loose
by Master Tonberi
Summary: Hirokun finds a girl who doesn't like him? Whatever shall he do? Unfinished.


Monday, April 19, 1999 (was actually written most of that week in a notebook, but on June 28, 1999 I started typing it)  
  
  
  
Another Bust-A-Move/Groove story. ^^ This one comes after a dream I had of searching for Hiro-kun through a giant arcade... ^^;;  
  
  
  
Bust Loose II  
  
  
  
"What am I doing here?" I moaned. The club was nice looking, albeit tacky in some places. It was a disco all right--complete with the ball and some guy dancing in a white leisure suit. The girls were insane over him. Just about everytime he did some fancy move, pretty much all the girls in crowd with cheer out "Hiro-kun!" in some of the most excited voices I'd ever heard. On the other hand, I wasn't too impressed. "I need to go home." I muttered and rested my forehead on my arm. Umi and Ikari, the two girls who had literally drug me their were fawning over Hiro-kun, too. But about then the song ended and they rejoined me at the table.  
  
"Lin-chan!" Ikari squealed as she sat down. "Look who we brought!!" I raised one uninterested eye to look at them. Ikari and Umi were sisters, only a year in difference. Ikari was the older, and she wore her hair long and straight. That night she was wearing a short, tight light blue dress with lots of silver jewelry. Umi was the youngest at 20 and wore her hair shoulder-length, and that night a purple dress. When I looked up, it seemed as though they dragging something towards me. A little more interested I turned both eyes to the object they were dragging.  
  
Tall... brown hair... goatee... grin... white suit.  
  
"Hiro-kun!" They both squealed at the same time. I tried not to flinch to much, but their voices were rather annoying.  
  
"Hiro-kun," Umi said, batting her eyes at him, "This is Lin-chan!" She giggle insanely. "She's American!"  
  
"Oh? Is that so?" Now that I could actually see him, I saw that he wasn't even Japanese. He winked at me. "I'm not, either."  
  
"Huh. I see." I tried to sound impressed but after a few hours of loud music, smoke and nothing to do, I wanted to go. He pulled up a stool, as did Umi and Ikari. They just sat there staring at him while he looked at me. I was kind of uncomfortable, so I checked my watch. "Umi-chan, Ikari- san, I have to go soon." I sat up and adjusted my neck.  
  
"But we just got here!" Ikari squealed. I flinched again.  
  
"Three hours ago!"  
  
"It's been three hours?" Umi asked Ikari. Ikari had a wide-eyed look on her face and shrugged.  
  
"I had no idea!"  
  
"Well.. time flies when you're having fun, hm, ladies?" Hiro-kun asked, winking at them both. I sighed and stood.  
  
"I'm gonna go now... well, see you la-"  
  
"Wait." Hiro reached out and grabbed my hand. "You haven't danced yet."  
  
"That's right, Lin-chan!!" Umi exclaimed. "You haven't danced all night!"  
  
"That's because I can't dance." I said in a very flat tone. "Remember? That whole, 'No, no, please don't make me go, I can't dance, I'll just sit there and be bored, no, no, I can't dance, no, I don't wanna go' speech I made when you asked me?" I didn't want to be rude, but I was tired. Umi and Ikari looked a little uncomfortable, but Hiro laughed.  
  
"Bull." He said. He took me by the hand led me towards the dance floor. "Anyone can dance." Before I could do anything, he'd drug me out into the dance floor and a song had started. Shouts of Hiro-kun filled the air along with the music. He looked me right in the eyes. "Just do what I do." Then he started to sway, and I felt obliged to do it as well, only because that was the only type of dancing I could do. "So, what's your name?"  
  
"Lindsey... Lindsey Anderson." I was kind of getting into the dance. If all he wanted to do was kind of waver from side to side, I could do that. And now that I got a closer look at him, I could see why some girls were going nuts over him. He was cute all right. Brown hair and a triangular black goatee, and then there was the fact that he actually looked good in a leisure suit. And he had a nice smile. Then I look into his eyes...  
  
Arrogance. That was the first thing I noticed. Then something that resembled a care-free, fun-loving spirit. I realized why so many girls were crazy over him. He had some sort of charm, maybe an aura, that just charmed people (mostly girls, I assumed) and made them want more. Now, even I was becoming drawn to him.  
  
"Let's try something different, shall we" He asked. His voice was even nice; not to deep and just a nice level.  
  
"Umm... I dunno." I said, trying my best not to panic.  
  
"Nothing difficult." He said having seen my eye betray my cool exterior. "Just do this." He kind of waved his arms back in forth. I could do that, and it still looked like dancing. He smiled at me and I smiled back. More shouts of "Hiro-kun!" burst from the audience.  
  
"This isn't so... bad." I muttered.  
  
"Good. Let's try this, then." Then we started did a walking step; he would walk forward and I would go backwards. I got that down all right, then he did a spin. "You try it."  
  
"Uh, no, that's all right." I shook my head."  
  
"C'mon, it's okay." He did some fancy disco moves with his arms and hands. I decided to try it.  
  
I started out on my right foot, then used the other to spin. Halfway through I thought I would make it. Then my left foot hit his leg and I started to fall. My arms waved out in all directions, frantic to catch something to stop the fall. He grabbed one hand, but by then it was too late. I was at a weird angle, and he didn't pull me up in time. Instead, I pulled him down with me. We crash-landed on the floor, taking two other pairs of dancers with us. In tangle of bodies, I heard the music stop and the crowd mummer.  
  
The other couples were complaining about the "stupid dancer", and I felt horrible. Hiro's and my legs were still tangled, and by the time I was free, my face was red and tears were in my eyes. The second I could stand, I ran out of there, paying no attention to anyone.  
  
The air was much cooler outside than inside and it felt great on my hot face. I didn't go far because I didn't really know the way home. So I leaned against the wall to catch my breath. There was practically no one outside. I sat there for a few minutes, trying to remember how to get home. The door opened around that time, but I didn't care to look up and see who it was. I figured that they were just leaving. It surprised me to see the person come sit next to me, until I saw he was wearing a white leisure suit. I didn't move until he lit up a cigarette.  
  
"I hate smoke." I said, without even looking at him.  
  
"So do I." He said and blew a thin line of smoke through his lips. I had to laugh at that one. "Look, I'm sorry." I turned my head slowly and looked hard at him to see he honestly meant it.  
  
"I understand." I said and stood up. He did, too.  
  
"Do you forgive me?"  
  
"What?"  
  
"Do you forgive me? He asked again. I had started to walk away, but then I stopped. I turned around to look at this odd man. He was standing there, hands in his pockets, a cigarette dangling form his lips and a sad puppy dog look on his face.  
  
"Why are you giving me those puppy-dog eyes?" I asked, trying my hardest not to succumb to his charm. He stepped up to me without saying anything. Then he put his hand on arm.  
  
"Because it means a lot to me." His voice was so sincere, so heartachingly nice that my knees almost melted.  
  
"You know something..." I said, giving him a weak smile. I smoothed back a loose strand of my hair. "You're a good actor."  
  
His face fell, but he laughed. He took a long puff on his cigarette before blowing it out his nose and mouth. Then, his charm had no effect on me. I broke into a grin and started to laugh, too.  
  
"C'mon. He said between laughs. "Let me make it up to you."  
  
"Huh? How's that?"  
  
"I'll teach you to dance." He motioned for me to follow him.  
  
"Won't your public miss you?" I asked sarcastically. He just grinned.  
  
"They'll get over it." We were no walking towards the back of the disco.  
  
"Where are we going, anyway?"  
  
"My apartment."  
  
"Your what?" I stopped in my tracks. Now we were in an alley, his cigarette and the dim glow of distant neon lights providing us with the only source of illumination. "I don't know about that."  
  
"What?" He asked, turning around.  
  
"I see what you're up to." I said, shaking my finger in his face. "I'm not some silly fangirl, you know. I don't fawn over you."  
  
"Yes..." He took a puff of his cigarette and blew it out his mouth. "I noticed." His eyes were dangerous now; ablaze with a light that told me he was going to change me--someway, some how. I was stilled by this new revelation; and stood there staring right back at him. Then he broke out in a grin, shedding his serious facade and started to laugh. "Don't worry!" He winked at me, then turned around to walk up an outside flight of stairs. "You're not my type, anyway."  
  
* * *  
  
His apartment surprised the heck out of me. I was expecting something like the disco, something loud and flashy and ... big.  
  
'I've had closets bigger than this.' I thought was we stood in the doorway. It was just a 6-tatami apartment with about three visible pieces of furniture--an unmade futon, a chest of drawers and a computer table. All over the walls were posters.. of himself. A small kitchenette was next to the computer desk and there were two other doors in the apartment. And it was brown. The floor was brown, the walls were brown, the doors were light brown. But the posters added splashes of color. There was a sweet stereo on the chest of drawers, but I saw no TV. However, all in all, the apartment was bare. He kicked the futon over to the wall to make room, then grinned at me.  
  
"Here." He said. "We won't run into anyone."  
  
"Or anything." I muttered. He gave me a questioning look and I grinned at him. I set my purse down near the door and leaned against the wall. "Look... it's pretty late and I'm pretty tired, so I'm not gonna be here too long."  
  
He sat down at his computer table at the wall with two windows. He put out his cigarette out on the ashtray that was almost overflowing with cig butts. The apartment did smell faintly of smoke. He opened the window, then motioned for me to sit down.  
  
"I think we should at least introduce ourselves, then." He said, giving me that charming smile again. "I'm Hiro-kun."  
  
"And I'm Lindsey." I said automatically. He smiled again.  
  
"Well, Lin-chan, what do you do for a living? Why are you an American in Tokyo?"  
  
"I'm an American by birth in Tokyo." I smiled a faux sweet smile at him. "I have dual citizenship. I am a Japanese citizen. I'm a student in college. My father works in the American Navy Airforce. He has been stationed here a few times and I grew to love Japan. I moved here recently after getting into college." I looked him in eyes. "And you?"  
  
"Italian by birth." He gave me that charming smile again. "Japanese by law. I'm a computer programmer."  
  
"I see." I said with a nod. "How old are you?"  
  
"Twenty." He said without hesitation. That really caught me by surprise and I almost fell over. I thought he'd at least be thirty.  
  
"You're... kidding!"  
  
"No... why'd you think that?"  
  
"Because I'm twenty!" I exclaimed. He grinned at me.  
  
"No kidding?" He winked at me. "That's great." We honestly didn't say much after that. Just idle chatter for a few minutes. Then I got up to leave.  
  
"Are you coming back next Saturday?"  
  
"I can't make any promises." I said, trying to avoid the subject. I did not want to go back, I did not want to embarrass myself again. However, he caught me by the door by leaning his body in the frame. He was very tall, even without the platform shoes and he took up a good deal of the door.  
  
"Met me here at midnight next Saturday, and I'll teach you to dance."  
  
"Sorry." I said. "Midnight is my bedtime." He frowned and I gave him a pitiful look. "Hey, I don't get enough sleep as it is." He looked rejected and my knees started to feeling weak again. "I'm sorry."  
  
"Then... Friday at eight."  
  
"Umm..." I thought it over for a second. I'd always wanted to dance, and I'd always been jealous of people at clubs who looked cool while dancing and not dorky. And he is a nice guy... "Sure." Slipped out before I could stop it. He smiled such a pleasant smile, an honestly pleasant smile that I didn't feel so bad.  
  
* * *  
  
"Lin-chan!!" Ikari called out as she approached me after class the next Monday. She looked slightly tired. "Where... did you go Saturday night?"  
  
"I left." I said quietly. "After the incident on the dance floor, I, uh, well, I felt the need to leave."  
  
"Oh." Her face had seemed hopeful, but then it fell.  
  
"What's the problem?" I asked as we walked to our next class.  
  
"Well, Hiro-kun disappeared after you did... we had hoped we knew where he was."  
  
* * *  
  
I dressed loosely for Friday, wearing baggy jeans and a loose red sweater. Underneath the sweater I wore a tight black tank top. I wore my old sneakers, too, and hoped he wasn't dressed up.  
  
I hoped in vain.  
  
He wore the same suit, white leisure suit, platforms and all. I got a rather sinking feeling. The closer I got the more I could smell a freshly finished cigarette.  
  
"C'mon." He said, motioning for me in. I walked in slowly, an odd mixture of feelings knotting within me. I was excited and scared. When I entered, I saw his futon had been put up. He walked over to his stereo and put in a CD. Then a song with a beat that was easy to pick out started playing. He came back to me and took my hands. We stood in the middle of his apartment.  
  
"First, just sway." He swayed to the beat. "This is the most basic form of dancing there is." I moved my body ever-so-slightly to the beat. "Hey, it's just me. Get loose." He took me by the shoulders and shook me. With a laugh, I loosened up. "That's better. Now, try this." He took a step forward, turned and a step back.  
  
"Okay... I can do this." I took a step forward, turned slowly, and took a step back.  
  
"That's good, do it slow, and later we'll catch up." He said. My spirits rose and I was very happy.  
  
For the next hour we did things slowly, mostly steps that were simple. He assured me that when they were speeded up, it would look like a real dance. I was proud of myself for doing so well. And from the look on his face, so was he.  
  
"Okay now." He said as the CD we had been listening to stopped. "Let's try something a bit faster." He inserted another CD, but didn't start it. "Now... I want you to speed it up. It's not a drastic change but you will be going faster." I nodded in agreement and he pushed play. The beat was almost double the speed I had been at it, but I wasn't very fast. I started out with swaying, and progressed further.  
  
I almost made it.  
  
One of the last moves I learned was a move that required me to turn, put one foot down, then turn and put the other foot down. I went to fast, tripped on my feet and fell hard on my ass on the wooden floor. For a second I could do nothing but sit there with my eyes squeezed shut and my teeth clenched together. Then I opened my eyes and two beads of tears formed in the corner of each eye. My butt would be blue tomorrow. With a concerned look on his face, Hiro sat down next to me.  
  
"You okay?" He asked softly. I looked him in the eyes and said...  
  
"My butt hurts." in a small, childish voice. Immediately his face strained to keep the laughter in and a smile from escaping. Seeing that made me laugh, and then he did, too. After laughing loudly for a few minutes, we stopped for air he put his hands over mine.  
  
"I mean it this time. Are you okay?" He asked. I nodded and stood up. Something about him putting his hands over mine, his warm skin on mine, made me nervous. To get rid of that feeling, I rubbed my butt with one hand and made a face. I pulled my self up to a half stand.  
  
"I'm okay... I'll be sore tomorrow, though."  
  
"Here, let me see." He said, moving closer. His hands went to my waist and I stood straight up quickly, covering my butt with both hands.  
  
"Oh, no, you don't!"  
  
"Oh, c'mon." He grinned at me. "I'll make sure you're not hurt. Not like I've never seen on, anyway."  
  
"However, you are NOT seeing my ass!!" I said and stepped back. Unfortunately, I tripped again over my feet and fell again... on my ass and my hands.  
  
For a moment neither of us said a thing. Then I rolled onto my stomach.  
  
"I... am just going to lay here and die now."  
  
"Oh, no, you're NOT." I felt his feet become planted on either side of me, but I still hadn't moved my hands. He gently placed his hands under my armpits and slowly picked me up. "You'd start to smell in a few days, anyway." He chuckled in his ear and his goatee tickled my ear. "How are your hands?"  
  
"I dunno." I muttered. The pain was subsiding but his closeness was bringing up another emotion. I quickly held them up in front of me. From behind me, he reached up and took my wrists into his hands. They were weird colors--red fingers and white knuckles. I could only bend them half way the first time, but I got all the way the second time. It wasn't that they hurt, they were just stiff. When I open and closed them completely, he brought his head over my shoulder and kissed my knuckles. My heart started to beat faster. "I-I think I should go." I stammered, slipping away from him.  
  
"Okay." He agreed. "Are you going to dance tomorrow?"  
  
"Ah, no." I said. "No... I'd just get bored." I turned towards the door. "And all those screaming girls get on my nerves, anyway."  
  
"Oh, but they're my public, my fans, my life." We'd progressed outside to the stairs. He produced a cigarette from nowhere and lit it. I made a face at him and started down the stairs.  
  
"Bye!" I called out.  
  
"Come back next Friday?" He called out. At the bottom of the stairs I turned and looked up at him. In the darkness cigarette lit up his face. He looked mysterious... he also looked good. So I smiled at him and nodded.  
  
"Sure thing!" And this time, I meant it.  
  
* * *  
  
For the next three weeks my Fridays were the things I looked forward to. I stayed later and later each time, and got better. I still tripped over my feet, and one time I took Hiro down with me. I gained a few bruises (Yes, my butt was blue the next day) but nothing that really lasted. However, the fifth week changed it all.  
  
I dressed in a different outfit this time. I wore tighter jeans and just the tank top. That was nothing. But when I got to his apartment, someone else was there. Standing at the top of the stairs was a man in a dark blue, loose and short-sleeved button up shirt. A white dish towel was draped around his neck and he was wearing baggy jeans. As I paused at the foot of the stairs, I heard the faint click of a lighter as he lit up a cigarette.  
  
"Hiro-kun!" I gasped. I rarely called him that nickname, but this time it slipped out. He smiled at me.  
  
"Suit's being cleaned." He told me as I walked up the stairs.  
  
"I see." I said as I topped the stairs and shifted my duffel bag. I had started bringing that so I could change shoes (to ballet shoes if needed) and to bring food, too. I grinned at him as I stood before him. "You look different. You look great." He just smiled, took one last on the cigarette before throwing it away. Then he motioned for us to go on.  
  
"I was thinking..." He started as we entered. "That we'd try something different today."  
  
"Uh-oh." I said with a smile. "What now?" I saw down near the kitchenette to change shoes. He squatted down next to me and grinned.  
  
"Two-person dancing." He said and tweaked my nose. He stood up and put his hands on his hips, looking down at me. He looked rather malicious. "After all, most people go to clubs with others, right?"  
  
"And at the disco, most girls go to dance with you, right?" I stood up and faced him as he grinned.  
  
"Ahem. Two person-dancing involves two people touching." He winked at me. "You're over your fear of me touching you, right?"  
  
"What phobia?" I asked as I socked him hard in the shoulder. He flinched and shook his head, but still laughed.  
  
"All right. First... slow dancing." The music he put on was very slow. "You *can't* mess this one up."  
  
"Bet you dinner I will." I said as I stepped up to him. My heart was beating way to quick.  
  
"You've never done this before, have you?" His voice was deeper now, like a purr. We were not standing *very* close to each other.  
  
"W-well, not everyone is as popular as you." I halfheartedly snapped back, but he just smiled, stepped forward and put his arms around my waist. I froze.  
  
"Just relax." He crooned softly in my ear. I think I stopped breathing for a second when he pressed his body gingerly against mine. "Move your arms up here." With one hand he guided my right arm up and around his neck. Quickly, I moved the other arm around his neck. "Rest your head my shoulder." He said casually. I hesitated a moment, but then rested my head on his shoulder. We swayed to the song, neither of us moving much above the waist. When the song was over, we didn't let go.  
  
"Hiro..." I whispered. "You're squeezing me."  
  
"Yeah?" He whispered back. "You're about to choke me." We let go of each other and stepped back. "By the way, you owe me dinner." Suddenly, he was his old self.  
  
"What?" I exclaimed, then remember my bet. "Oh, yeah... Guess I do."  
  
"Afterward." He changed the CD to another one. "This one goes faster, so we'll be risking it." He said with a wink. "Now, let me position you."  
  
"What is this, Dirty Dancing?" I asked as he positioned me. He had me standing with my legs apart and hips forward.  
  
"This is better." He said with a grin. With both of his hands on my hips, his slid one of his legs between mine.  
  
This surprised me so much I fell down. And took him with me.  
  
I fell to the floor first. By now I'd gotten used to the floor and it wasn't such a pain anymore. However, the thought of someone else falling on me was worrisome. Thankfully, he was able to stop himself by catching himself with his arms. We lay there for a moment before either moved.  
  
"Have we ever had a session," He whispered. "When you *haven't* fallen?"  
  
"I... I don't know..."  
  
"You should probably get over this whole fear of touching me."  
  
"I'm *not* afraid of touching you!"  
  
"Oh, really? Then prove it!" I opened my mouth to say something, but nothing came out. Nothing could because his lips were covering mine.  
  
First, it was just lips to lips, but he shifted, I hugged his neck closer and the kiss became more lustfull. Some how we made it to a sitting position, and he moved his arms around my waist. When it was over, he pulled away softly, but I couldn't open my eyes.  
  
"Nicely done." He whispered, but didn't let go of me. "It seems things have changed." His voice was sexy and I nuzzled my lips against his neck.  
  
"How's that?"  
  
"I seem to be the one afraid of touching now." He murmured, and there seemed to be a pain in his throat because he kept swallowing. What he said surprised me, and I let go.  
  
"Then I should go." I stood up and brushed off my pants.  
  
"Don't be mad." He reached out and caught my hand. I couldn't turn and face him, but I felt his lips against my knuckles. "I feel if I kiss you again, I won't want to stop. And that would led to something..." His voice trailed off.  
  
"Yes... something I thought you'd planned." I turned around and knelt in front of him. "You are a playboy, aren't you used to breaking hearts?" I looked him in the eyes.  
  
"But I'm not used to mine being broken." He said, staring right back at him. I kissed him then, a quick press of lips before drawing away.  
  
"I'm not saying that's what I'll do, but..." I kissed the tip of his nose. "I really don't want to leave." Hiro looked at me in wonderment, then broke out in that grin again.  
  
"You know, this will change a lot."  
  
"Yeah, I hope so." I giggled as I wrapped my arms around his neck.  
  
* * *  
  
I woke later that night due to the feeling of being very hot, and to the sound of rain. For a moment I was confused at why I was so hot, but after sitting up and shedding an extra arm, everything clicked. Also, there was that quick realization I wasn't wearing anything.  
  
As I sat there, covering myself with my arms because he had most of the futon clumped around him, I looked around his tiny apartment. The only light was wavering in from the windows. I was tempted to just sit there for a while and look at him, but I was getting kinda cold. He looked very vulnerable, laying there almost spread-eagle for the world to see. However, I wanted to get my underwear before I got any colder. So, bare butt high in the air, I started crawling around on the floor, searching different piles of clothing.  
  
"What're you looking for?" Came a voice behind me. Without turning around I answered.  
  
"Looking for my underwear."  
  
"Oh. Sorry."  
  
"What?"  
  
"Sorry... I ate 'em."  
  
"You what?" I crawled around to face him. He was sitting up with the futon bunched over his waist. His normally combed back hair was sticking up in places.  
  
"You did not eat my panties." I said, crossing my arms over my chest.  
  
"Maybe... but you can't find them."  
  
"Fine." I held up his boxers. "I'll just use these." So I slipped my legs though and stood up to find a shirt.  
  
"Hey, you ruined the view." He chuckled and stood up to walk to me. "Leaving so soon?"  
  
"It's 3 in the morning. That's not soon." I said as I felt his arms circle around my waist. "You didn't make a dessert out of my bra, did you?"  
  
"Let's just say you don't owe me dinner anymore." And for that one I elbowed him in the side. He ignored it and started to sway, dancing to his own song. I watched him with a raised eye-brow as he danced back to the futon--buck nekkid.  
  
"Go back to sleep, Hiro." I said, pulling a shirt over my head. "Looks like you need to." Laughing, he laid down and gestured for me to come to him. So I sat down next to him and he kissed the side of my neck.  
  
"Will you come see me dance tomorrow?"  
  
"Depends. Do they allow guns in the disco?"  
  
"Do they what?"  
  
"If I have to sit through a night of girls screaming your name, I'll shoot them or myself."  
  
"Why, I didn't know you're the jealous type."  
  
"Maybe... maybe not."  
  
"Just come see me... for a little while."  
  
"Mmm... I'll try." I playfully pinched his side. "Is that good?"  
  
"I guess so. But if you don't come, you have to make it up to me."  
  
"How do I do that?"  
  
"I think we can think of something."  
  
* * *  
  
I left early that morning, but Hiro was awake to see me go. I returned to my apartment to find a quaint little message on my answering machine.  
  
Hello, dear, this is your mother. I didn't know when I wrote you my last letter, but your father has been stationed in Tokyo again. I'm calling you from the new house and we'll come visit you Saturday, probably around noon.  
  
It was 11:45 a.m. when I got that message.  
  
Eight hours later, my family was not going anywhere. It wasn't that I minded so much, it was just that I wanted to see Hiro.  
  
"So, tell me, Lin, have you many friends now?" My mom asked me. We had all gathered in my small living room. My father and brother were watching a baseball game, so my mother and I were talking.  
  
"Yeah, I've made a few. Mostly from school." I said, settling back in the chair.  
  
"Any boys?"  
  
"Well... there is one..." I was a little embarassed to mention the whole fiasco. I didn't have anytime because it was then there was a knock at the door. My father and little brother looked up, and my mom smirked. "I'll get it." I said quickly, and practically ran to the door.  
  
The first thing I did was put my ear to the door. I had to listen closely to hear a man's voice and two laughing women. With dread coiled in my stomach, I opened the door.  
  
Ikari was wearing bright yellow this particular night, and Umi was wearing blue. Hiro, on the other hand, was decked out in his usual white leisure suit.  
  
"Hiro." I whispered. He flashed a grin at me and the girls squealed. I felt like slamming the door closed on them all, and I would have, if my mother hadn't seen them.  
  
"Oh, Lindsey! Invite your friends in!" Momma called out. Hiro turned, said something to the girls, and they left. Then, taking long stride, he came in, whipped out a brush and combed back his hair twice, then gave my family a big smile.  
  
"Good evening." He said. With a sigh, I stood next to him.  
  
"Momma, Daddy, Sam, this is Hiro." I said, motioning to them and to him. He bowed and smiled. "Hiro, this is my family."  
  
"Pleased to met you." He said in Japanese.  
  
"This may sound dumb, but you can speak English, right? They don't know that much Japanese." I responded in Japanese.  
  
"Oh, then in that case..." He smiled again. "Very pleased to met you." I didn't think his voice would change so much. Now he had a weird accent--a cross between Italian and Japanese.  
  
"Oh, hello, Hiro! It's so nice to see you!" My mom said, standing up to met him. "I had no idea Lin was going somewhere!"  
  
"Well, I said I'd try." I pushed them both into the sitting room.  
  
"No promises, eh?" Hiro chuckled. He stopped at the mirror to comb his hair again. While he did so, something black fell from his jacket. My brother Sam was closest, and snatched it up.  
  
"Hey, cool, his blackbook!"  
  
"Whoa, kid! Give that back! You are too young for that!" Hiro yelped.  
  
"Sam!" I shouted and yanked it away from him. "*I'm* the one who gets to look at it!" Laughing, I ran away from him and opened the book. "Odd. Most men put stars next to names, not hearts!" The whole time Hiro was kept his cool.  
  
"Hearts are for cuteness. Stars means something else." He said with a chuckle. I quickly looked up my name. Four hearts...  
  
"Hey! There are no stars next to my name!" I exclaimed in Japanese.  
  
"I haven't had time to add them." He responded in Japanese. 


End file.
